Mercury salts of cholic acid and process of making same.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL l/VQRNER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO'THE FIRM OF .T. D. RIEDELAKTIENGESELLSOHAFT, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

MERCURY SAL TS OF CHOLIC ACID AND PROCESS OF MAKlNG SAME.

Patented. Jan, so, 1906.

Application filed une,9,1905. Serial No. 264,504. (Specimens) Same, ofwhich the following is a specification.

It is well known that taurocholic and gl cocolicacld, which occur inox-gall' in .t e

shape of their salts, may be s litup by boill'ng wit halkalics, therebyyie besides taurin-and glycocol.

Strecker seems to have been the first to make a close study of cholicacid (Ann. der

mg cholic acid,

5 Uhem'ie. and Pharmocz'e, 1848, Vol. 67. wage 12,) and has alsoprepared salts-of the same;

but hitherto mercury saltsof'cholic acid havenot been known, althoughStrecker mentions that a three-per-cehtsolution of otassium 2ocliolatmyieldswith mercury chlori or a solut on of niercurous oxid' awhite precipitate, whlch partly dissolves onboiling.

It is not possible to obtain mercury cholate precipitating mercurychlorid with potas- ,z 5 slurs cholate, because instead of a compactprecipitate only a nilky turbidity is ro duce'd, which cannot be removedby fil tratron. On the contrary, the entire liquid coneals after a fewminutes toa translucent o elly, which enters into solution'when dilutedwith water. The sulfate and nitrate of-mer cury are also. unsuitable,becausethey easily .forrn basic salts and decompose if dissolved eveninfpurie water. Consequently they yield precipitates which contain freecholic acid and basic 'nitrate or sulfate. The

. presence of these basic compounds renders such preparations unsuitablefor therapeutic purposes.

According to the present invention pure mercury salts' ofeholic acid areobtained by starting from salts which are neutral as far as practicableand less inclined to the formation of basicsalts. These re uirements are4 5 fulfilled by the mercury salts 0 many organic acids, and especiallythe acetates, because thesmall quantity of acetic acid arising from thedissociation of these salts will not preci itate any cholic acid, thelatter bein solu le.

5o in water containing acetic acid. vIn this manis introduced into asolution of'mercuric acefects the bile-ducts and prevents a bacterialner the mercuric and mercurous salts of cholic acid may be easilyproduced.

If the five to ten'per cent solution of a cholicsalt-forinstance,potass1u mcholatctateor mercurous acetate while rapidlystirring, yellowish-white precipitates are roduced, which can be easilyfiltered, was led,

- and dried.

The new salt of mercury and cholic acid is a light yellowish-whitepowder sparinglly soluble or almost inso .ole inpure water. an alkali ispoured over it, an oxid of mercury separates out. By alcohol it isdecomposed. The mercurous cholate (C l-1 0,11") yields black mercurousoxid when alka ice are poured over it.

.The mercuric cholate ((1,,H,,(),).,Hg is very sparingly soluble in.pure water, but more .easily soluble in'water containing salts. It isvery soluble in sodium-chlorid solutions and potassium-chloridsolutions. Alkalies se arate from it yellow mercuric oxid. A100 01dissolves it while causing decomposition. 7 5

The mercury salts of 'cholic acid are applicable as a remedy for orpreventive of gallstones, inasmuch as the cholic acid promotes thesecretion of bile, while the mercury disin- 8 infection or removes thesame if already existing, and thereby eliminates one of the princi alcauses of the. formation of gall-stones. Tiie cholates of mercury arealso valuable as antisyphilitica, which differ from others by their mildaction andcausc an early disappearance of syphilitic symptoms.

What I claim is 1.. The process for obtaining mercury salts of cholijcacid, which consists in treating av suitab1y-dilute solution of a saltof cholid acid with a-mercury salt of an organic acid to form aprecipitate, and mechanically separating the latter, substantially asdescribed.

2. The process for obtaining mercury salts 9 5 j 3. As a new product of1nanufacture,a mer- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set cury saltof cholic acid, having the shape of a my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit? light yellowish-white powder sparingly solunesses.

ble in pure water, yielding an oxid of mercury v 5 on the addition of analkali and undergoing Witnesses:

decomposition on the addition of alcohol, PAUL SIEDLER, I substantiallyas described. M H CURT MUIILER.

EMIL WORNER.

